The present invention concerns an improved medical dressing for protecting external wounds of mammals, especially humans.
A wide variety of dressings has been proposed for the protection and healing both of accidental wounds such as burns and abrasions and of deliberate cuts to the skin such as surgical incisions, as well as for the treatment of dermatological skin disorders.
Of particular importance are those dressings which are selectively permeable to oxygen and water vapor but impervious to liquids, infectious microorganisms and body salts. With some of these dressings, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,329, adhesion to the skin is provided only at the periphery of the dressing, while in others, such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,835, pressure-sensitive adhesive coats substantially the entire body-adhering portion of the dressing. Numerous variations of the latter dressing are presently in use, but all of these variations require several steps to remove the release paper protecting the adhesive side of the dressing and/or to tear out or cut off ungummed edges. In addition, the dressings cannot be readily applied to the intended skin area without contamination of the the dressing from contact of the adhesive surface with the hand of the applicant.
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide an improved dressing for external wounds which not only is easy to apply but also precludes contaminating contact by the applicant of the adhesive side of the dressing.
A bandage with the adhesive in the form of layers alternatively spaced with regions of lesser adhesiveness therebetween to reduce pain on removal from the skin is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,438 and 3,885,559.